Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

If I read the audit report correctly, it is based upon 55 actual sites that are monitored for the audit. That seems like a very small sample. Also, the accuracy of the meter according to the report is 88 to 94% on that limited number of sites.

More from the audit: "On a month-end basis, the meter did not over-count, although it did experience occasional under-counting, which means that some user traffic did not register on the meter."

So, less than 100% accuracy where all the observed inacuracy is under counting shouldn't be too awful for us.

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

55 sites appear to be monitored to create the report on how the monitor is doing. That seems like a very small number.

I got my fingbox today, installed it and it immediately noticed that there were three open ports on my network and offered to close them for me. I said, yes, close.

Tonight we are going to shut down several computers that are normally powered up, but expected to cycle down to quiet state during the night. My spouse was up late last night and noticed that her computer was "awake" with fan running hard as if it was working hard at a time of day when we don't expect it be doing anything at all.

Re: bandwidth Usage Meter is inaccurate

one thing that might be wrong with a report from 2017 is that my data usage doubled between January 2018 and June 2018, so the time period that is of primary interest to me is not covered by this report. Again, a very small sample of sites with little or no ability to slice and dice the auditing data for deeper analysis. Is it impossible for Comcast to be more current, robust and transparent about how they collect their numbers on data usage?

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

Hey, pickled pirate - I would love to unplug and use another provider, but I am in a market without meaningful competiton. At the end of the day, I expect to know a lot more about LAN, WANs, routers, data packets etc. and to be paying the additional $50 per month for unlimited because I will tire of trying to figure out how I could possibly be using this much data.

Re: bandwidth Usage Meter is inaccurate

one thing that might be wrong with a report from 2017 is that my data usage doubled between January 2018 and June 2018, so the time period that is of primary interest to me is not covered by this report.

Based on the dates of the reports on the website, it would seem that another one for Comcast is likely to appear soon. Our data has decreased over the timeframe you mentioned so it seems unlikely that the Comcast meter just (faslely) counts more now than it used to. Since the report is by another company - ie checking Comcast rather than from Comcast, you should probably talk to them about any concerns about their methodology. I would think that coverying a lot of protocols would be more important that covering a lot of wesbites.

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

I'll start by saying I only have Comcast Internet. I just recently started looking into this in more detail. Went over 1TB in July and was shocked since most months only ever hit 300GB. Ok, time to check that out. First 5 days in August hit 173GB. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Streamed HD video (not 4K) for only 10 hours at most. Minor surfing of internet and emails. First day August 1st was measured at 23 GB. Hadn't done anything but surf internet for 1 hour!! And as far as the meter starting the previous day (July 31), well, since I had went over that month, I didn't stream or do much of anything that day.

So now we have this issue all of a sudden. Only change was to a better modem towards end of July that is on the Comcast approved list. Funny thing is that when I log into my account it says that the modem is not set up properly. But everytime I talk to Comcast Level 1, Level 2, or whatever level help there is, they say the modem is fine. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. The modem may be working but I don't think the broadband usage meter is working right. Only two people in my home and we're not doing anything but surfing the internet and streaming movies a few times each week.

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

I'll start by saying I only have Comcast Internet. I just recently started looking into this in more detail. Went over 1TB in July and was shocked since most months only ever hit 300GB. Ok, time to check that out. First 5 days in August hit 173GB. Hmmmmmmmmmm. Streamed HD video (not 4K) for only 10 hours at most. Minor surfing of internet and emails. First day August 1st was measured at 23 GB. Hadn't done anything but surf internet for 1 hour!! And as far as the meter starting the previous day (July 31), well, since I had went over that month, I didn't stream or do much of anything that day.

So now we have this issue all of a sudden. Only change was to a better modem towards end of July that is on the Comcast approved list. Funny thing is that when I log into my account it says that the modem is not set up properly. But everytime I talk to Comcast Level 1, Level 2, or whatever level help there is, they say the modem is fine. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. The modem may be working but I don't think the broadband usage meter is working right. Only two people in my home and we're not doing anything but surfing the internet and streaming movies a few times each week.

This is ridiculous.

Start a new thread about the issue with your modem. Include equipment details.

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Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

Your experience is quite similar to many comcast customers who have seen the comcast report of data usage jump at about the same time that the data usage cap and overage charges have been implemented. My data usage doubled from January to June 2018.

I agree with Robert that you should post details about your hardware so that we know more about your situation. I disagree that you should start a new thread. Your primary concern is about the report of data usage. That fits well on this thread. If help with your hardware fixes your situation, then your experience may help others here who are also trying to sort out the data usage issue.

<Edited>

Because you have changed hardware, you want to make sure that the mac address on your hardware is a match for the hardware that comcast is measuring as your data usage.

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

Thank you. Since I'm new to this forum, and already started my own topic called "Abnormal broadband usage," I'll keep it there for now. More detailed info is there. Don't want to repost in two places. If there is something relevant for whole group here, I will most gladly share.

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

Solved based on two posts in this forum. Thank goodness for those posts. One of them mentioned that Comcast an Netgear know something is up, which would make sense to me too.

I had bought the Netgear CM1000-1AZNAS modem which is NOT supported by Comcast. Avoid that model like the plague. (Just to be confusing, there is another version called CM1000-100NAS which is supposedly supported)

Who knows how mine was provisioned, but it must have sent some wonky signals to Comcast making them think I ate up 270 GB in 5 days. Ha! I'm returning that modem based on false advertising and ordered another brand FULLY supported modem based on the forums here and my research. Case solved. Now to get back my 270 GB of data I didn't use.................................................. waiting for callback from supervisor.

Cameras and Additional Data Usage Frustrations

I find it frustrating that Comcast - Xfinity Home counts your cameras sending data back to Comcast (aka recording) against your data usage quota...here is why...

In their 24x7 camera recording FAQ page they mention the following:

How much bandwidth does a Camera with 24/7 Video Recording enabled use?Due to the technology implemented, each Camera with 24/7 Video Recording typically uses less than 50 GB per month depending on the amount of activity captured.

This is 50 GB estimate per month, per camera. So if a customer were to max out the subscription and pay $40 per month with 4 cameras recording, the customer would be only able to leverage 824GB (1 TB = 1024 GB - 200 GB ) of data each month. For customers already close to maxing their data usage, this basically would set the customer over the limit causing the customer to have to pay $50 / month for unlimited data or pay the overage charge. So this is great for getting even more money from their customers for the same level of service.

Recommendation:

Comcast should not count data towards your data limit for Xfinity Home. Xfinity Home Network goes through a seperated network and therefore when analyzing data usage Xfinity should see this and be able to ignore this.

As an example of Xfinity not counting other products/services towards your data usage, take a look at the Roku - Xfinity Stream beta app...

Does streaming using the Xfinity Stream app on a Partner Device count against my Internet data usage?No. The goal of using the app on your Partner Device is to give you more options outside of our rented TV Boxes to access your full TV service within your home. The service delivered through the Xfinity Stream app is not an Internet service, so our data usage plans don't apply.

For those thinking, just as Comcast mentions, "A TERABYTE IS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF DATA. WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A TERABYTE?" (https://dataplan.xfinity.com/), well it may be a massive amount of data but for those with unlimited devices, or even a few devices, it can be consumed very easily.

For example, let's say you have a gamer in your house that leverages an Xbox One X, for example, Comcast mentions the average gamer can "Play better. Play more. A terabyte of data is enough to power 12,000 hours of online gaming in a month. There are 730 hours in a typical month." (https://dataplan.xfinity.com/). While I am sure their research shows this, this fails to count for the type of gaming usage. For example, Microsoft offers Games for Gold, multiple "free" games a month for an Xbox owner and they offer Xbox Game Pass allowing access to a huge library of games as part of the pass. Whenever one of these games are accessed and needed to be played, you have to download the game, assuming it is not on the device. Games can range from MB to 10's of GBs depending on the game for the download. If the game is 4K it is even more. Also, don't forget about when a Game update is released which has the same type of range mentioned...now you have to account for this...Very quickly you can see that the usage can be maxed out very quickly from just one Xbox. Now let's say you have two gamers in your household (I do), multiple this times two now....Also this will only get worse as Microsoft, again as an example, is working on a game streaming service, newly announced at E3 (https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/10/17446628/microsoft-xbox-game-streaming-cloud-service-next-xbox-te..., this again, could use even more usage...

I didn't even mention if you have Windows, MacOS, and/or Linux devices....

Recommendation:

Xfinity/Comcast should increase the data cap amount for Gigabit plan holders. Perhaps to even 2TB per month? If a customer is paying for this increased service to support a multitiude of devices, dare I say "unlimited devices", then the customer should actually be able to use multiple of these devices and services as advertised by Comcast without the worry of exceeding the smaller cap and paying even more for the same service every month....(or paying for the $50 a month unlimited plan to use the same service I already am paying more for, for the higher speeds and more devices).

Re: Cameras and Additional Data Usage Frustrations

I find it frustrating that Comcast - Xfinity Home counts your cameras sending data back to Comcast (aka recording) against your data usage quota...here is why...

In their 24x7 camera recording FAQ page they mention the following:

How much bandwidth does a Camera with 24/7 Video Recording enabled use?Due to the technology implemented, each Camera with 24/7 Video Recording typically uses less than 50 GB per month depending on the amount of activity captured.

This is 50 GB estimate per month, per camera. So if a customer were to max out the subscription and pay $40 per month with 4 cameras recording, the customer would be only able to leverage 824GB (1 TB = 1024 GB - 200 GB ) of data each month. For customers already close to maxing their data usage, this basically would set the customer over the limit causing the customer to have to pay $50 / month for unlimited data or pay the overage charge. So this is great for getting even more money from their customers for the same level of service.

Recommendation:

Comcast should not count data towards your data limit for Xfinity Home. Xfinity Home Network goes through a seperated network and therefore when analyzing data usage Xfinity should see this and be able to ignore this.

As an example of Xfinity not counting other products/services towards your data usage, take a look at the Roku - Xfinity Stream beta app...

Does streaming using the Xfinity Stream app on a Partner Device count against my Internet data usage?No. The goal of using the app on your Partner Device is to give you more options outside of our rented TV Boxes to access your full TV service within your home. The service delivered through the Xfinity Stream app is not an Internet service, so our data usage plans don't apply.

Source: https://xfinity.com/xfinitytvbeta

I moved your post here so that others who have data usage issues can comnent on your observations.

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Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

Solved based on two posts in this forum. Thank goodness for those posts. One of them mentioned that Comcast an Netgear know something is up, which would make sense to me too.

I had bought the Netgear CM1000-1AZNAS modem which is NOT supported by Comcast. Avoid that model like the plague. (Just to be confusing, there is another version called CM1000-100NAS which is supposedly supported)

Who knows how mine was provisioned, but it must have sent some wonky signals to Comcast making them think I ate up 270 GB in 5 days. Ha! I'm returning that modem based on false advertising and ordered another brand FULLY supported modem based on the forums here and my research. Case solved. Now to get back my 270 GB of data I didn't use.................................................. waiting for callback from supervisor.

modems don't provide info to Comcast on usage. The CMTS which your modem communicates, counts traffic up and down. Your set top box 'modems' also communicate with the CMTS and internet data is counted. That is the source of internet traffic usage.

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Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

The poster didn't say that it did. He said that Comcast allowed an unsupported modem to be activated, resulting in the CMTS racking up a huge data usage count, far in excess of actual INTERNET usage.

the modem/gateway is a passive device to data once the connection is set up. "Supported" has to do with having a current configuration file to send to the gateway, as well as the physical gateway/modem being capable of DoCSIS 3.0+ operation. The gateway/modem has no data records 'to report'.

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Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

I didn't say that it did. The OP didn't say that it did. Your messages are the only ones that posit "modem data records".

Ask your Comcast tech buds what happens when a non-approved device becomes an active device. Infinite error recovery maybe, as the CMTS attempts to load a non-existent config file, with the traffic counted against the data cap?

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

I didn't say that it did. The OP didn't say that it did. Your messages are the only ones that posit "modem data records".

Ask your Comcast tech buds what happens when a non-approved device becomes an active device. Infinite error recovery maybe, as the CMTS attempts to load a non-existent config file, with the traffic counted against the data cap?

In addition to subscriber traffic, a very small amount of management traffic such astraffic from SNMP polls or cable modem health checks is also counted.

What happens to that normally "very small amount of management traffic" when "cable modem health checks" FAIL because they're not supposed to be on the system?

only traffic (bytes) that leave the border routers (Comcast's) and enter the actual internet or are from the internet and routed back through the border routers are counted. the loading of config files etc is all 'in house' and not routed to/from the actual internet.

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Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

@Rustyben wrote: ... only traffic (bytes) that leave the border routers (Comcast's) and enter the actual internet or are from the internet and routed back through the border routers are counted. the loading of config files etc is all 'in house' and not routed to/from the actual internet.

Can you cite a source? The NetForecast document linked above says such traffic is counted.

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

I just made the following thread, but I'm guessing it will get taken down. Here's my story and why I think the cap is terrible.

"There is no technical reason as to why Xfinity imposes a data cap. The only reason it exists is to prey on customers, like myself, who use more bandwidth. Anyone who is interested in online gaming, 4k streaming, or content creation is subjected to the additional $50 on top of the already high prices of Xfinity's service.

A bit about me. I am a veteran that struggles with issues from my service. I used to use content creation (streaming to Twitch and uploading to YouTube) as a means to escape. Its soothing for me to play a game and chat with others. I say used to because I started going over on my data cap. Now I can no longer stream because of the charges I would incure.

Why don't I change providers? Because the only other ISP in my area is CenturyLink. CenturyLink only offers a low speed connection that I wouldn't be able to stream over. I am currently trying to get a municiple initive to bring in a local fiber provider to the area. Hopefully, in time, we can get an ISP that cares about providing service. Comcast doesn't care about it's customers (I'm proof), they only care about squeezing every dollar they can out of you."

Re: Terabyte Internet Data Usage

@Rustyben wrote: ... only traffic (bytes) that leave the border routers (Comcast's) and enter the actual internet or are from the internet and routed back through the border routers are counted. the loading of config files etc is all 'in house' and not routed to/from the actual internet.

Can you cite a source? The NetForecast document linked above says such traffic is counted.

phone call to Comcast's security department a year ago.

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1TB Cap Overages outrageous with no substantial justification

I have almost $200 in overage fees for one month. This seems Ludacris to me as I have used far less this month than the past few months. It being that Xfinity's Data Team cannot provide any more information as to why, how and what was draining it puts me on the side of thinking that Xfinity has yet again found a way to squeeze more money out of its customers it cares so much about.

Re: 1TB Cap Overages outrageous with no substantial justification

Possibly the increase is because they give you two "courtesy months" before they start charging for being over. In your case, the "unlimited" plan would be cheaper. Other than that, look in the terabyte usage thread for ideas of what can cause high use and ideas on how to track it.

Am I being lied to? (Data usage)

I’ve been an xfinity customer for over 2 years now and have only went over my monthly data cap once. Well last month I stopped renting the modem from Xfinity and bought my own.

And now I’m going over my data every single month without changing my data habits AT ALL! I monitor my usage every day and also check to see if anyone has hijacked my WiFi. No one has.

I went from averaging 500GB used a month on their modem to now having used 1156GB last month with no habit changes.

This month I am on my 9th day of the billing cycle and I’m already at 400GB used, how is this even possible?

I switched to my own modem to save money but am about to use my last courtesy overage! I don’t understand how I could go 2 years and only go over 1 time and then switch to my own modem and go over every single month.

The one month I went over that I’m aware of was when I had just bought 2 new Xbox consoles and was downloading my games to them. But last month I have no idea how I used 2x my normal usage. And this month I’m headed for the same. Can anyone help? I’m feeling like Xfinity is being dishonest and trying to jack up my usage.

Re: Am I being lied to? (Data usage)

Take a look at the terabyte usage thread for ideas of what can use data (sometimes suddenly and mysteriously due to bugs etc.) and how to track. Since you own your own modem (and presumably your own router) you should have an independent tracking system to compare. It's hard to give specific ideas since you haven't said much about your usage or network. Eg: you say you have 2 Xboxes which I know nothing at all about, but presumably also have other stuff. Some routers will actually tell you by device where the data is being used - see if you have one. A brute force but effect method can be to simply turn off devices for a few days or a few weeks to narrow it down. For what it's worth, I see 3x differences in different months on my usage as well.

My average chord cutting data usage

Here is an average chord cutting usage with only streaming(tv& music), news, & searching at a max of 1080p & a min of 480p i dont play games anymore (no time) i have 3phones, 2tablets, 2chromecasts, 1fitbit, 1pc

Re: Am I being lied to? (Data usage)

@fragydig wrote:The one month I went over that I’m aware of was when I had just bought 2 new Xbox consoles and was downloading my games to them. But last month I have no idea how I used 2x my normal usage. And this month I’m headed for the same. Can anyone help? I’m feeling like Xfinity is being dishonest and trying to jack up my usage.

The XBox One consoles are notorious data hogs, especially when you also upload saved in game video clips to Twitch or other service. As @strega7 mentioned, you might want to monitor your usage directly from the router (I can audit my use from my ASUS RT-AC88U router easily).

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Re: Data Usage Out of Control

My data went thru the roof Aug 3, 4, 5th last month. Comcast reported I used 150, 400, 250 gigabytes respectively PER DAY... Comcast provided me with the daily totals. Since tracking our usage through my secure network, I can only account for about 10-15 Gigabytes of data PER DAY. Additionally, my average daily totals as reported by Comcast per month are as follows... March (10 Gigabytes/day), April (14 Gigagbytes/day), May (18 Gigabytes/day), June (24 Gigabytes/day), July (25 Gigabytes/day), Aug (37 Gigabytes/day). This shows a disturbing ramp up in usage that is not logical... and 400 Gigabytes in a day... we are not farming bitcoins. We are just two adults and one teenager at home. Two computers and one television and three smart phones that use an average of 10-15 Gigabytes of data per day on average.

Re: Data Usage Out of Control

My data went thru the roof Aug 3, 4, 5th last month. Comcast reported I used 150, 400, 250 gigabytes respectively PER DAY... Comcast provided me with the daily totals. Since tracking our usage through my secure network, I can only account for about 10-15 Gigabytes of data PER DAY. Additionally, my average daily totals as reported by Comcast per month are as follows... March (10 Gigabytes/day), April (14 Gigagbytes/day), May (18 Gigabytes/day), June (24 Gigabytes/day), July (25 Gigabytes/day), Aug (37 Gigabytes/day). This shows a disturbing ramp up in usage that is not logical... and 400 Gigabytes in a day... we are not farming bitcoins. We are just two adults and one teenager at home. Two computers and one television and three smart phones that use an average of 10-15 Gigabytes of data per day on average.

did you swap out your modem around that time? is someone streaming a lot on your X1 set top boxes? (the data doesn't go through your modem)

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Re: Data Usage Out of Control

I gave up trying to understand how this could happen and just bought the unlimited data for $50 per month. If you are in an area where comcast has insufficient competition, they are charging extra for what they include in package price in areas with sufficient competiton. It is very frustrating, but this was a battle I could not win, so I just pay them the extra and try not to be upset by it. It's a bum deal, but I don't think you can get straight answers from Comcast about their data usage metering. They just keep referring to the auditing that they have in place that indicates their metering is accurate. I will follow the discussion because I would love to know what is really going on, so fight the good fight if you can. You want to make sure that comcast is determining data based on the mac address of the equipment that you are actually using and you want to watch to see who signs on and uses data across your device. Good luck.

data usage

I was outside the whole day and my internet uses 50gb this whole day idk how becasue I only use my phone and laptop but when I left the house I turned of my laptop please tell me how my internet used 50gb and the funny thing is they don't show you everyday usage like other providers do their is something fishy going on.

Re: data usage

So let me say this. I have recently upgraded to the 1gb plan. I think it is abosuletly rediculous that the 1tb cap exists for this plan which is already much mroe expensive than the others.

I have 2 adults and 3 children (only one who is old enough for using the internet). Now I do have 3 different tv's that can stream 4k content, I have a few smart home devices, xbox, online games, work from home time to time. My point being 1tb is nothing. I can break 1tb with just the 4k streaming. I know that having serveral tv's capable of streaming netflix,amazon,hulu etc isn't uncommon... so I don't think there data usage claims are entirely accurate.

I also know the meter is not accurate. Prior to moving to Gb and paying the unlimited fee I was on a 250mb connection and I have a router that can watch my monthly usage. It was setup to end on the same day my data reset. I don't think there was a single month where comcast meter was even close... in what 12-15 months. I would consistently see data usage anywhere from 15-25% higher on any given month that what my router was reporting. My router was also able to see all of my internal traffic and nothing was being bypassed.

I think comcast mostly uses this model to punish cord cutters and hit them with an extra $50 fee. The good news is that if new california net-neutrality bill passes then it will probably start to become a common adopted law fro most states. There is one really important peice to it. It keeps the ISP's from 0 rating their own content. So anytime you use comcast's ondemand content it will count against your data cap, same for VOIP services. That means comcast will be unable to use the cap as a way to punish cord cutters since their own streaming services will also be hit. If these law passes then chances are we will see much more realistic soft caps. One last thing, did you know that when it comes to the big cable companies that they have a 97% profit margin on their internet services. For example I pay about 120 a month BEFORE the unlimited data fee for my Gb connection. That same connection costs comcast less than $4 per month to provide. They literally charge me more than that on their mandatory fee's most of which are made up. So to be required to pony up another $50 for unlimited usage putting the total at $170/m turns this into a 98% profit margin.

Funny enough they have a huge Margin... and if I was to take my Gb connection and determine how much of it I can use before going over my cap... it is just sad.

To use 1tb of data on a Gb connection it would take only 2hrs 26min and 36 seconds.

There are 744hrs in a month on average.

So 2.2636/744 = .003 Or .3% So 1/3rd of a percent. I can't even use 1% of the connection I am paying for without going over my limit. Yet, they have a 98% profit margin. They paid millions of dollars to lobby and have Net-neutrality rescended, they have millions of dollars blocking smaller ISP and municial projects for internet access. So now we are left in a state of having NO consumer protections left. This is why the California bill is so important.

Also comcast would have you think that packets are a finite source. This is not true either, my neighbor can't horde all of these packet to themselves... that isn't how bandwidth works. Yes, there is a limit to how much can be moved at once, but with docsis 3.1 out now... they gained a lot of free throughput and the only other reason they would have issues would be if they are skimping on infrastructure upgrades... upgrades that they received billions of dollars in goverment grant money for. These grants were given so they could build out our infrastructure and make us more competitive with broadband speeds in a world setting. So that money came from our tax dollars, yet we are being robbed from. Think about that.

Re: data usage

So let me say this. I have recently upgraded to the 1gb plan. I think it is abosuletly rediculous that the 1tb cap exists for this plan which is already much mroe expensive than the others.

I have 2 adults and 3 children (only one who is old enough for using the internet). Now I do have 3 different tv's that can stream 4k content, I have a few smart home devices, xbox, online games, work from home time to time. My point being 1tb is nothing. I can break 1tb with just the 4k streaming. I know that having serveral tv's capable of streaming netflix,amazon,hulu etc isn't uncommon... so I don't think there data usage claims are entirely accurate.

I also know the meter is not accurate. Prior to moving to Gb and paying the unlimited fee I was on a 250mb connection and I have a router that can watch my monthly usage. It was setup to end on the same day my data reset. I don't think there was a single month where comcast meter was even close... in what 12-15 months. I would consistently see data usage anywhere from 15-25% higher on any given month that what my router was reporting. My router was also able to see all of my internal traffic and nothing was being bypassed.

I think comcast mostly uses this model to punish cord cutters and hit them with an extra $50 fee. The good news is that if new california net-neutrality bill passes then it will probably start to become a common adopted law fro most states. There is one really important peice to it. It keeps the ISP's from 0 rating their own content. So anytime you use comcast's ondemand content it will count against your data cap, same for VOIP services. That means comcast will be unable to use the cap as a way to punish cord cutters since their own streaming services will also be hit. If these law passes then chances are we will see much more realistic soft caps. One last thing, did you know that when it comes to the big cable companies that they have a 97% profit margin on their internet services. For example I pay about 120 a month BEFORE the unlimited data fee for my Gb connection. That same connection costs comcast less than $4 per month to provide. They literally charge me more than that on their mandatory fee's most of which are made up. So to be required to pony up another $50 for unlimited usage putting the total at $170/m turns this into a 98% profit margin.

Funny enough they have a huge Margin... and if I was to take my Gb connection and determine how much of it I can use before going over my cap... it is just sad.

To use 1tb of data on a Gb connection it would take only 2hrs 26min and 36 seconds.

There are 744hrs in a month on average.

So 2.2636/744 = .003 Or .3% So 1/3rd of a percent. I can't even use 1% of the connection I am paying for without going over my limit.

Huh?

I'm all for NN and I live in CA, but your reasoning makes no sense.

To burn through a TB of data in that fast of a time frame, you'd have to be constantly downloading data at around 125 MB/sec, and there's no way that's happening with standard use, unless you're running a Bittorrent client.

To put it simply, an HD movie stream on Netflix uses 3 GB /hr. You'd then have to watch 333 hours worth of HD movies to burn through 1 TB... which equates to 14 whole days, or half a month. Even if you were using 4k streaming at 7 GB/hr, you're still looking at 142 hours of streaming, or 6 entire days.

With our (two adults) use, we average at most three hours of TV every day, which will take us 111 days to use up a TB in HD streaming, or 47 days worth of UHD.

If you're able to sit and watch that much Netflix , you have way more free time than most people who work for a living.

And, just to add, we average around 400 GB of bandwidth every month, and the most we've ever used was 700 GB, even factoring in all the video streaming, game playing, online backups, and downloads.

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Re: data usage

So let me say this. I have recently upgraded to the 1gb plan. I think it is abosuletly rediculous that the 1tb cap exists for this plan which is already much mroe expensive than the others.

I have 2 adults and 3 children (only one who is old enough for using the internet). Now I do have 3 different tv's that can stream 4k content, I have a few smart home devices, xbox, online games, work from home time to time. My point being 1tb is nothing. I can break 1tb with just the 4k streaming. I know that having serveral tv's capable of streaming netflix,amazon,hulu etc isn't uncommon... so I don't think there data usage claims are entirely accurate.

I also know the meter is not accurate. Prior to moving to Gb and paying the unlimited fee I was on a 250mb connection and I have a router that can watch my monthly usage. It was setup to end on the same day my data reset. I don't think there was a single month where comcast meter was even close... in what 12-15 months. I would consistently see data usage anywhere from 15-25% higher on any given month that what my router was reporting. My router was also able to see all of my internal traffic and nothing was being bypassed.

I think comcast mostly uses this model to punish cord cutters and hit them with an extra $50 fee. The good news is that if new california net-neutrality bill passes then it will probably start to become a common adopted law fro most states. There is one really important peice to it. It keeps the ISP's from 0 rating their own content. So anytime you use comcast's ondemand content it will count against your data cap, same for VOIP services. That means comcast will be unable to use the cap as a way to punish cord cutters since their own streaming services will also be hit. If these law passes then chances are we will see much more realistic soft caps. One last thing, did you know that when it comes to the big cable companies that they have a 97% profit margin on their internet services. For example I pay about 120 a month BEFORE the unlimited data fee for my Gb connection. That same connection costs comcast less than $4 per month to provide. They literally charge me more than that on their mandatory fee's most of which are made up. So to be required to pony up another $50 for unlimited usage putting the total at $170/m turns this into a 98% profit margin.

Funny enough they have a huge Margin... and if I was to take my Gb connection and determine how much of it I can use before going over my cap... it is just sad.

To use 1tb of data on a Gb connection it would take only 2hrs 26min and 36 seconds.

There are 744hrs in a month on average.

So 2.2636/744 = .003 Or .3% So 1/3rd of a percent. I can't even use 1% of the connection I am paying for without going over my limit.

Huh?

I'm all for NN and I live in CA, but your reasoning makes no sense.

To burn through a TB of data in that fast of a time frame, you'd have to be constantly downloading data at around 125 MB/sec, and there's no way that's happening with standard use, unless you're running a Bittorrent client.

To put it simply, an HD movie stream on Netflix uses 3 GB /hr. You'd then have to watch 333 hours worth of HD movies to burn through 1 TB... which equates to 14 whole days, or half a month. Even if you were using 4k streaming at 7 GB/hr, you're still looking at 142 hours of streaming, or 6 entire days.

With our (two adults) use, we average at most three hours of TV every day, which will take us 111 days to use up a TB in HD streaming, or 47 days worth of UHD.

If you're able to sit and watch that much Netflix , you have way more free time than most people who work for a living.

And, just to add, we average around 400 GB of bandwidth every month, and the most we've ever used was 700 GB, even factoring in all the video streaming, game playing, online backups, and downloads.

I understand that seeing 125MBps of continues usage on the download side isn't average or even realistic.. The point is I am paying an increased premium for a service I can't even use 1% of without breaking the soft cap.

Also there are ways to hit that usage WITHOUT needed to use a torrent client (which is NOT illegal, unless you are pirating copyrighted material mind you). Also I have stated I was streaming content 4k content on any show that supports it.

That means that 4k can use anywhere between 7-15Gb per hr depending on which service, technologies (h264, h265, Hevc) then you have shows with better audio codexs for more usage and then if you add HDR a little more on top of that. So lets assume I take the average at around 11Gb/hr. Then break out the tv's to average daily usage. So one tv would see 8 hrs of usage, the other two about 3 each. That is 14 hrs daily x 11Gb/hr. So that comes up to 154Gb today. Now I am sure some of that usage will only be 1080p, but in any given day I would expect 80-100 Gb of data from just streaming services. That isn't even considering all of the movies and shows I have out in the cloud.

since I have purchased the unlimited data addon I have used in the 8+ Tb range every month. I have a kid that likes to stream to twitch/youtube. Then there is all the videos of my twins that I put on youtube which are recorded in 4k. So I can easily eat up a few Gb of space from a 4k video that is longer than say 90 seconds.

Then if you work from home via say a VPN, then you are getting a 20% increase in bandwidth usage due to the encryption overhead. So if I send something that is 1gb, I actually use 1.2gb to send it.

Lastly, as to free time I don't have a crazy amount. I do have a wife that stays home with my children though that DOES have plenty of free time... plus babies enjoy a handful of shows throughout the day. I figure I will get an angry noticed from comcast in a few days/months. I am planning to send about 28TB of data to a cloud backup solution I have.

Re: data usage

Again my stance is that the cap should be around 25% of the theoretical monthly maximum

So for 100mbps that is about 7.5TB a month.

250mb would be about 18.5TB

500 would be 37.5TB

and 1Gb would be 75TB

For a service with a 97% profit margin being able to use 25% of the theoretical maximum per month is 100% fair. This would mean the cap ONLY affected people who truely were power users. Heck we could reduce that down to 10% usage and still be good.

Re: data usage

the 'internet' Cap includes all your X1 devices' use of internet apps (they have their own DOCSIS modem your modem has no way of polling), and all your TVgo and over the top usage (web sites, youtube etc on your desk/laptops and smart devices). Add the up and down traffic together.

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Re: data usage

You obviously don't use online backups very heavily. I have gone over the 1TB cap twice in the past 6 months, and I will barely stay under the cap this month. The only "exceptional" thing I am doing is backing up to Google Drive and Amazon Drive.

My kids stream YouTube around four hours a day each. And my wife and I stream HD content from XFinity or Netflix around 5-10 hours per week.

Most months we easily hit 600 GB. Our lowest month ever was July (420G, but we were on vacation for a week.

I can usually slow the bleeding by throttling/disabling online backup. I shoot a lot of RAW photos, but the data hit seems way out of line with the amount I am pushing to online storage. I have only uploaded around 1.5 TB total (across several months). GlassWire and Google Wifi usage combined don't explain why we in the "one percent" of families who regularly violate the cap.

There is a reason why Comcast won't provide a breakdown of where the data is going. It's because they know it is often inaccurate (they have been caught several times).

Re: data usage

You obviously don't use online backups very heavily. I have gone over the 1TB cap twice in the past 6 months, and I will barely stay under the cap this month. The only "exceptional" thing I am doing is backing up to Google Drive and Amazon Drive.

I don't? Because not only do I have iCloud Backup on for 5 devices, I also have my wife's 1TB OneDrive account synced on two computers, as well as both our Google Photos, and Google Drive for me, as well as a QNAP NAS. Maybe you should look at how you manage your backups?

You obviously don't use online backups very heavily. I have gone over the 1TB cap twice in the past 6 months, and I will barely stay under the cap this month. The only "exceptional" thing I am doing is backing up to Google Drive and Amazon Drive.

My kids stream YouTube around four hours a day each. And my wife and I stream HD content from XFinity or Netflix around 5-10 hours per week.

Most months we easily hit 600 GB. Our lowest month ever was July (420G, but we were on vacation for a week.

I can usually slow the bleeding by throttling/disabling online backup. I shoot a lot of RAW photos, but the data hit seems way out of line with the amount I am pushing to online storage. I have only uploaded around 1.5 TB total (across several months). GlassWire and Google Wifi usage combined don't explain why we in the "one percent" of families who regularly violate the cap.

Funny, that month where we hit 700 GB, both my kids were home most of that month, and they were both heavily online, easily hitting 4-6 hours a day each on the XBox and YouTube, not to mention my wife and I watching Netflix and even Xfinity Stream.

Seems like I can manage my data just fine.

I should point out that my router, an ASUS RT-AC88U, can produce detailed logs of where LAN and WAN traffic is going over any period of time, and what devices are using the most bandwidth. It even alerts me if a device starts acting suspiciously, i.e. large transfers of data in and out of my LAN, possibly indicating intrusion or malware.

I have alerts sent to my phone if my data hits 50% of the cap, then 70%, then 90%.

It doesn't take a lot, really, to see where your data is going. You just need to put a bit of time and effort into it, and maybe invest in some equipment.

There is a reason why Comcast won't provide a breakdown of where the data is going. It's because they know it is often inaccurate (they have been caught several times).

What you're asking for, as I pointed out to another user, would require them to have monitoring software inside your LAN, something nobody in their right mind would agree to. Otherwise, they'd have to perform deep packet inspection on everything that goes into and out of your modem, which will bog down people's internet connections so badly so as to render many of them unusable. (I don't even have DDoS protection turned on in my router for that reason, and I have Gigabit).

In fact, one reason I own my own modem and router is that I refuse to let Comcast access my LAN, let alone snoop inside it.

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Re: data usage

I think the problem is noone wants to accept the fact that comcast is basically robbing from us. A 97% profit margin on internet services is HUGE. Then you have all the taxes and fees they toss in most of which are completely fabricated "because they can." Next we run in to these mandatroy set top boxes that cost 9.99 to 14.99 a MONTH per box. Then we have the modem they rent to most average users.

If it costs comcast about 5-6 bucks a month to supply me with a gigabit connection, then there is no reason I should need to toss on another 50 bucks to be able to actually use it. It is already 125ish a month for a gigabit connection which means they are making $120 in profit off me already. Want to see something funny? The company below is one that comcast has been spending millions on blocking from expanding. First they blocked them from being able to use their conduit to cross a park, then they faught to keep them from being able to move across the river. They have essentially blocked them from moving north and south. Why? They couldn't compete with their offerings so instead of letting them in the market they throw their power behind themselves in the way of paid off politicians... they just have to maintain their monopoloy status.

Re: 1TB Cap Overages outrageous with no substantial justification

Hi there,

I recently went over on the data cap in July and August. No one at Xfinity could give me concrete information on specific data usage. This is obviously BS, because their Xfinity xFi app allows you to see the percentage of data going through each connected device in a 24 hour period and a 30 day period. The chart they use ranges from Low to Very High, which isn’t really all that informational. By tracking how much data had been used by a specific device during a specific day, I was able to determine “Very High” is anything over 0.5GB.

I suggest getting these two apps: Xfinity My Account and Xfinity xFi

I feel your frustration. Armed with information you collected and using the power of math, you can fight back. You can’t argue with math.

Re: Gigabit Plan - Increase Data Usage Cap

To follow-up on this, I have been with Xfinity for over 10 years (every house I move to make sure Xfinity is there). As a result of this continual increase of cost (I purchased Gigabit + Unlimited Data because I pretty much had to considering I am in the "1% users needing this")...I am switching to MetroNet in my area which is 100% fiber and for Gigabit Internet cost 79.95 a month (with 250 mbps upload instead of 40 mbps) and includes Unlimited Data (they do not charge for data).

The price alone is saving me money compared to what I am being charged with Xfinity. I am sticking with Xfinity Home Security but turning everything else off.

Will monitor this in the future but right now I can't justify Xfinity.

EDIT:

I forgot to mention some of you may mention well that is "new customer" pricing and what happens after a year? Even after a year the cost is cheaper than what Xfinity is charging me (after I already negotiated with Xfinity too).

Re: 1TB Cap Overages outrageous with no substantial justification

We have also experienced huge increase in our data usage. I have used the xfinity data calculator on their website and entered ridiculous amounts of daily stream time, online gaming social media etc. According to their calculator with these ridiculous numbers I should still not be using 1 TB of data. I have called for assistance but NO ONE can answer why this is happening. They suggested changing our password which we did. The ONLY new change since this has happened is they sent us the newest fastest X1 modem. Ever since our data usage has gone crazy. They insist this new high speed modem has nothing to do with it. We do not have a 4K TV and have changed our setting to stream in lower resolution. So much for enjoying a nice clear HD picture.

Re: 1TB Cap Overages outrageous with no substantial justification

There are many ways to use lots of data. In the case of the poster before you (see his link) it was his apple TV. In the Terrabyte Usage thread, you can find many possible causes, as well as ideas on tracking and testing. The Comcast calculator is OK but it doesn't (and probably can't) account for all ways to use data. For example, in the Terrabyte usage thread, some people found Amazon Drive (which I previously had never heard of) was resyncing the same data again and again. Another user had a "crypto wallet" (that was new to me too) that was using 300GB a day due to a bug, etc....

If you have something consuming data due to a bug, moving to a faster modem or data speed is very likely to make it worse.

Re: Internet Connection Data Usage

This is exactly what’s going on with my household, and same routines. It’s doubled and I’m here trying to get help! If you come up with something please let me know. Here my email <Edited for violating forum guidelines>

Re: Internet Connection Data Usage

Sadly with the cap it is up to us to monitor our internet traffic. If your router does not tell you what devices are connected and how much data (inbound and outbound) the devices are using then get one that does. And learn how to use it. Good luck. Come back with question after doing some google searches.

Re: Internet Connection Data Usage

note that a router can only see its own network traffic. the X1 set top boxes have internet enabled apps and use their own DOCSIS modem and the usage is on your internet account.

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